I think Spring is finally here! It has been raining like crazy and we are finally drying out, at least I think we are! We have signed both girls up for soccer and all practices were rained out. We have entered the age of practices. We have been very intentional about not getting involved in much outside of church and school, because we knew once one was in, they both were in. So we now have soccer 3 times a week and 2 games on Saturday.

This should be fun! At least, that is the prayer…

There is a tradition in my family it seems.

Animals like to find refuge in our door decorations.

It began with my mom a few years back. She used fresh apples in her Christmas Wreath. One night, a possum or opposum, if you do not live in the south, decided to feast on her lovely wreath. I was on the phone with mom when it happened and I have never heard such a ruckus!

Today, Jason noticed something not quite right about our door bucket.

It hatched a bird, who has laid two eggs!

Here are a few lessons we can all learn from this little birdy:

1. Always think outside the box when hunting for a solution to your problem.
2. Items can often have more than one purpose.
3. When facing the elements, look for high ground that is covered.
4. Mommy’s will always think of the safety of their kids, first, no matter who or what, stands in their way!
5. One man’s door bucket, is another man’s home!!!
6. Purchase new greenery each year, if it has been used in the great outdoors!

That little mommy bird is smart. She chose a much better spot than some old tree.

I am now scared to death I am going to harm those little eggs, opening and shutting the door!!

New life, don’t you love it??

Last Saturday ( I am staying up to date on my blogging, HUH?) Jason and I took the girls to the Promise Land- Neyland Stadium, home of the VOLS! I absolutely love Knoxville in the fall and a lot of it has to do with the 110,000 people who come with one goal in mind, to cheer on their team. We got to pass on the tradition last week, by taking the girls to see the game for their first time. I have great memories of going as a child and it was so fun to share it with my offspring!

Here is a sample of our day!

This is Logan, one of our former students, dressed as Smokey! Pretty obvious how Emery feels about him!

This is the VOL Walk where the players walk to the stadium.

We met up with some friends! Ruth and her family were there and we hung out
even though, they are Arkansas fans! We also ran into some many other friends from home!

Love this picture of Emery and Maddie

The family outside of the Stadium!
The Pride of the Southland in T formation and the players running through it!
The best college band in the nation!

On another note, we had a great night at church on Wednesday. We had a packing party for Operation Christmas Child, which is sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. We filled shoeboxes with toys, soap, a lovey and lots of candy. It is such a great way to share, with children of the world, the joy of CHristmas! Emery sang with her class and I remember to dress her appropriately this time! She was amazing!

Love those dimples!

Chaos set in quickly!Some of her crew!

Have a great weekend!

This has been a great week in our home, filled with firsts!!
Here is a recap of some of the new!

1. Emery started Preschool: She was so ready and excited. Her day can never have enough activity in it! She usually asks me, early in the day, “Where are we going today, Mommy?” She has the same teachers as Parker had last year and we are thrilled.
2. Bradley slept on a nap mat!! Yes, I wrote that right! The boy who never stops actually laid down on a mat at MDO and slept. For an hour and a half! His first nap at MDO, his teacher had to stay beside him til he fell asleep, but by day 2, he was a pro!
3. Parker has a loose tooth! She showed me her tooth “that wiggles” and I almost cried! It makes her seem so old. The heat is on her now to stop sucking her thumb. Jason make a deal with her that if she stopped in the next four days, she could have a party at Chuck E. Cheese and have a sleep over. We have always told her she has until her permanent teeth start coming in or she gets the thumb appliance. I am not real optimistic about the party happening, unfortunately. She is committed to her thumb!
4. Bradley started calling Jason, “Moma.” He can say “dog or doggy” but will not call J Daddy! It makes me laugh because he used to say “daddy” all the time! J is not so thrilled!
5. I got the dreaded statement from my daughter this week that all moms could do without. I was taking Parker to school yesterday and she says, “Mom, are you going to wear that? Don’t you need something nicer?” WHAT?? Now, I was dressed to go to the Y, but before you imagine me in Jason’ old tshirt and paint splattered cotton shorts, let me explain! I had on my cool Nike running shorts, with matching long sleeve dri fit shirt. IT IS CUTE I TELL YOU! I had even put on a little makeup. I honestly thought this conversation would not happen for YEARS! Many Years.

We have had a crazy, fun week getting on track with new schedules. Some days, the logistics are difficult, but we are working it out! We met with Parker’s teacher this week and got a good grasp of all she is doing and her curriculum and God confirmed to us that she is where she needs to be. She is learning a lot in a short period of time and is still adjusting to her jam packed Kindergarten schedule, but she is home by 12:30 and we have the rest of the day to relax and play. She does have some homework, but it is brief. We have had fun learning scripture with her and realizing the difficulty of the english language! All in all, life is moving!

One of the biggest hits in our home is the Barbie guitar. Emery got this lovely pink and white guitar for Christmas when she was 2 and it has been a huge hit. Looking back, if I had known that it had some songs pre-programmed in, I might have chosen a different guitar, but some things you live and learn!
We also have several keyboards, so basically we have our own band! Throw in some maracas and we are rocking around here!
The other day, the kids were playing in the playroom and Parker is singing along to Maroon 5, She Will Be Loved, on the Barbie guitar. Emery is on the keyboard and has the microphone turned on. She decides they need to pray.
Emery- “God, we just thank you for a great day. We thank you for Pawker singing so good. So Good For You. Amen.” Ok, Pawker, sing again.
Parker-Sings again.
Bradley- Singing “Na, Na, Na Na, Na Naw.” (They love listening to old school Passion songs, such as Every Move I Make, which is where the NaNa came from!)

This repeats several times!

For them, it is all about praising the Lord! And after all, she will be loved, by the Lord!!

We are having one major milestone after another here at our house!

Parker:
She started Kindergarten yesterday! Jason and I decided that I would take her and he would stay home with the other two. She was a little clingy before I left but was talking to the teacher as I left. She did not want to leave when I came to get her! She did great!
I, on the other hand, was a little weepy walking down the hallway. And in the truck. And for a few moments on the road.
Just another reminder that these little ones are on loan to us from the Lord. I can’t always be with her, but He will be.

Bradley:
The boy is finally walking! Last Wednesday night at church he was holding my hand and walking and decided to let go. He walked up and down the preschool hallway. Needless to say, he could have passed for someone who had drank one too many, if you know what I mean!! He also includes sound effects, which makes me laugh, every time! He has to be making some sort of noise as those feet are moving!
He also learned the word we all love to hear: NO! He also likes to use it! He has also added to his vocabulary this week: Dog, yes, Bradley (granted it was only two times and just resembled the syllables, but who is counting!) and he is starting to sing the ABC’s!
With his new found love of two upright legs, he is climbing and standing more, usually is high places that may require a visit to the ER.

Emery:
She is fairing well with the attention the others are receiving. She got her well child shots and lets just say extra personnel were required. She has been working on writing upper and lower case letters and is doing a great job!

What an eventful week we have had in our household! We have had a busy few weeks and I am just amazed at how fast summer is going. Parker actually starts school in two weeks! She will be going to a year round school and I can’t believe how quickly that day is approaching. I am sure I will be blogging about our school choice and all the emotions surrounding the first day of school soon, but for now, I thought I would give a little recap!

Monday we celebrated Jason’s birthday by going out with some of our closest friends to one of his favorite spots, SATCO, otherwise known as San Antonio Taco Company. It is in the heart of Nashville, across the street from Vanderbilt. We ate out on the patio and had so much fun with our family and friends. We tried to go see a movie, but the entire movie theater was showing Transformers, which started before we got there. It was still a fun night!

On Wednesday, we celebrated the 4th with some friends at a cookout. We had a great little fireworks display. Emery was terrified last year and has been in the last few days, but she did great! Bradley, not so much! He heard the first boom and it was freaked out city for him!! So, I watched HGTV while everyone else went outstide!

Thursday morning I loaded up with the kids to head to East Tennessee for some grandparent time! Jason had taken off of work to get some much needed work done around the house, so I made his job easier by clearing out! Thursday I did some shopping with Mom to get the last of Parker’s school clothes and we had dinner with LuLu, Mom and Wally. The girls then went to LuLu’s to spend the night. Bradley, who stayed with Mom and LuLu while we were at camp, did not sleep great the whole time we were at Mom and Dad’s. I think he was afraid I would leave, so he did not want to sleep. It made for some rough day’s and nights!

On Friday, Mom and I went shopping again and the girls had a tea party with LuLu. I found some of my favorite flip flops, Yellow Box, on sale and grabbed them up! The girls had a great time!

Saturday, was a work day! My parents recently had their hardwood floors redone and the house repainted, so they had to take everything off the walls and all the furniture out. They are planning on moving next year, so they are beginning to downsize. We went through box after box to decide what went back in, what went in a garage sale box and what got thrown away. I am not sentimental and my mom is, so it was interesting at times! I called my sister and told her that she needed to be there!! We have a lot of cleaning out to do over the next year. I looked in my parent’s basement and saw my 9 year old niece’s infant car seat. I saw furniture that is probably 20 years old! I think we are going to have to get a dumpster delivered to the house to clear out a lot of stuff and have a massive garage sale!
While all the fun was going on, my dad took the girls to a park with water fountains they could play in and to McDonald’s. That evening, they went with their Grandad and Beth to see a movie and to their aunt’s house! They had a great time playing with their dogs, Rusty and Gabby.

We came home today and Jason had transformed my bathroom. He restained our vanity, painted and caulked the trim, tiled around our bathtub and framed the mirror over the vanity! It looked really great! He also began painting the trim in our downstairs and touched up a lot of paint throughout the house. He also changed out some light plates! He worked so hard and I am so thankful he is such a worker around the house!

We have had a great week! I am going to post about camp soon. It was a great time for us and our students.

We had a fun time at dinner tonight and so I thought I would share some pictures.

Bradley got to eat some yummy wheat and egg free pasta! Obviously, he enjoyed it!

This is Bradley signing for more!!

Emery has never met a party she did not like, so she joined in the fun!

Parker, the poser!

It took me 20 minutes to clean his highchair!!

Leslie tagged me to do this fun meme.

1. Which dramatic role have I never had?a. Rumpelstiltskin, title role, 4th grade skitb. Amaryllis, piano lesson girl in "The Music Man", 6th grade,community musicalc Fairy in "Dance of the Swan" , 3rd grade balletd. Emily in "Our Town," high school play

I can honestly say I have never had any of theseillustrious roles.I was Rudolph in the Christmas play when I was inKindergarten.I think that counts as a title role!I also played Mary in just about everychurch christmas play through my childhood.Having brown hair makes you a natural motherof Jesus evidently!2. On which athletic team did I never compete?a. softballb. field hockeyc. tennisd. swimming

I don't think people below the maison dixon lineplay field hockey!So, that is exempt based on the fact that it wasn't offered.I loved to swim, but, alas, it was in the same seasonas basketball at my school and sinceI had major big hair in my younger years,there was no way I was getting in a bathing suitAND getting my freshly teased and sprayed hair wet!I did take tennis lessons and played softball fromthe age of five through high school.3. What kind of lessons have I never taken?a. pianob. ridingc. tap danced. etiquette

Riding a horse was not a lesson I ever took,but would have loved to!We did rent them when we went to Cades Cove in Gatlinburg,but I usually had to ride with my dad.The etiquette lessons I got were from my mama everydaywhen I was growing up!Don't chew with your mouth open, elbows off the table,sit up straight...You all know the drill because we repeat it everyday toour little ones!!Tap was when I was three and since my elbows are double jointed,I was one strange looking dancer!Piano is the one I should have stuck with, but allI wanted to do was play outside.

4. Which type of vehicle have I never driven?a. stick shift carb. dirt bikec. pickup truckd. ATVBeing a respectable southern girl, I have driven them all.The stick shift might be a stretch to call driving,but the effort was there!I also have wrecked a few of the above as well!5. What is my favorite genre of literature?a. historical fictionb. science fictionc. romantic fictiond. nonfictionI like to read fiction, usually suspense or mystery.I am convicted to read more nonfiction though!Two masters degrees seriously fried my brain!

That was fun!I tag Miriam and Alison!